For the Love of Hinata
by notisaidthefox
Summary: Hinata just wants Naruto, and now she's got two other leaf nins after her heart! What's a poor Hyuuga girl to do? Slight NaruHina and KibaHina, but mainly NejiHina. COMPLETE!
1. Foxes, Bugs, Dogs, and Ramen

Hinata hummed softly to herself as she walked the earthen streets of Konoha village. Today was Saturday, and a beautiful Saturday it was. The sun shone like a thousand diamonds in the sky, and the sky was flecked with white, fluffy clouds. Yes, this was one of those Saturdays that you'd remember.

If only she could share it with Naruto, she lamented silently.

The dark-haired girl's pearl eyes looked up at the cerulean sky above her and she smiled, glad to feel summer's warm rays on her pale face. She closed her eyes and continued walking, and suddenly bumped into someone.

"Ah! Gomen na—" she started, but then stopped and turned a red color.

"Eh? Oh, konnichiwa, Hinata-san!" Naruto beamed, giving her his trademark squint. "You should be more careful." Hinata stuttered unintelligibly and turned a deeper crimson. The spiky haired boy cocked his head to the side, looking confused.

"Something wrong?"

"Ah! N-no, Naruto-kun. N-nothing's wr-wrong!" she replied as quickly as she could. Naruto frowned slightly.

"Are you sure? Your face is all red. Are you getting a cold or something?"

"Um, ah, no, it's just…it's a little hot out, that's all," Hinata stammered, giving him as best an apologetic smile as she could. This seemed to satisfy the blonde youth and his face split into a smile.

"All right. If you're hot, then take off your sweatshirt before you go outside, okay? It's not good for anyone to be so bundled up in the summer," he chided, sounding much like a motherly figure. "I'll see you around, okay?" he finished, moving as to pass her. Hinata could only nod as he strode away, his hands clasped behind his head. As soon as he was out of earshot, she squealed to herself, a slight bounce developing in her step.

"He talked to me! And he was worried about me!" she said happily, jumping for joy. However, she quickly calmed herself and continued to walk, her face plastered with a hopeless grin. Today was turning out to be even better than she thought it would be.

As she turned a corner, she met with Shino, one of her team mates.

"Konnichiwa, Shino-kun," she greeted brightly.

"Konnichiwa, Hinata," he replied with his deep masculine voice. "You seem happier than usual."

"Oh! Ehm, yes, yes I am," she stuttered, embarrassed. Shino smiled knowingly under his high coat collar.

"It has something to do with Naruto, doesn't it?" he asked slyly, drawing an even deeper shade of red from the Hyuuga's face.

"Eh! How did you know?" she asked, completely surprised at his ability to see right through her.

"Come now, Hinata. You and I wouldn't be team mates if we didn't know things about each other," he reasoned.

'Then why don't I know a thing about you?' Hinata thought privately.

"Besides," he went on, "nearly every one in the Academy knows about your feelings for Naruto."

"Eh! Is it that obvious!" she exclaimed, yet again taken aback. Shino chuckled good-naturedly.

"Yes, Hinata-chan, it is," he nodded. And without another word, he vanished in a cloud of white smoke.

'Hinata…chan?' she thought, utterly confused. Could Shino actually have feelings for her? The pale-eyed Hyuuga quickly brushed that thought away. No, that just couldn't be it…could it? She shook her head, clearing her mind of those thoughts. What she needed to do now was just relax. It had been weeks since her team had last had a day off, so she'd better enjoy it while it was here. She yawned slightly, stretching her arms, and then decided to go to Ichiraku's ramen stand to get some food. Although she was an excellent cook, she didn't want to walk all the way home and make herself something. So, she decided to head over.

Hinata sat atop a stool, and her order of chicken ramen was taken. As she waited for her food, Kiba came up to join her.

"Konnichiwa, Hinata," Kiba greeted her brightly, Akamaru offering a small bark from within Kiba's sweatshirt. Hinata looked up from the bar counter and smiled.

"Oh, konnichiwa, Kiba-kun, Akamaru!" she replied. Just then, her ramen bowl was pushed in front of her, and she snapped apart her chopsticks.

"Ehm, Hinata?" Kiba asked, shifting slightly.

"Nani, Kiba-kun?"

"I was wondering…if you aren't doing anything tomorrow after the mission…would you like to go to the park with me?" he asked, his face turning a deep red color.

"Eh?" Hinata replied, truly surprised. "Oh, sure, Kiba-kun!" she added hastily, her face turning slightly pink. Kiba smiled brightly, revealing his canine-like teeth.


	2. Worthlessness

"Nani, Kiba-kun?"

"I was wondering…if you aren't doing anything tomorrow after the mission…would you like to go to the park with me?" he asked, his face turning a deep red color.

"Eh?" Hinata replied, truly surprised. "Oh, sure, Kiba-kun!" she added hastily, her face turning slightly pink. Kiba smiled brightly, revealing his canine-like teeth.

"Really! All right!" Kiba cried in happiness. Hinata giggled slightly and stood up.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Kiba-kun," she called as she walked away for the ramen stand. Outwardly she was calm, but inside, she was bursting with joy. Kiba had asked her on a DATE! But wait…what about Shino? It seemed that he had feelings for her too…and Naruto, well, he was special to her.

And then another thought came to mind.

Hyuuga Neji.

Hinata's heart skipped a beat, and she stumbled involuntarily.

"Neji…kun…" she whispered into the fading twilight. She was now walking home through a dark forest on a beaten dirt path. It was the way she usually went, so as to take the longest time possible to get home. How she hated being ridiculed by her father! Hyuuga Hiashi, her own father, cared more about her younger sister, Hinabi, than about her. He even valued Neji of the branch house more than her.

In his eyes, Hyuuga Hinata was worthless.

She stopped in front of the gate of the Main House and sat against the iron fence, bringing her knees up against herself.

A tear dropped from her pearl eye. Then another, and another. Her body shook with each sob. She hated it here. She hated it! All that she had ever wanted was her father to be proud of her, to acknowledge her! Forget being the leader of the clan! Hinata would gladly give up the position to Hinabi. All she wanted was for her father to admit that she was his daughter, that he loved her even if she wasn't the best.

Hinata wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her tan sweatshirt, trying to compose herself. Her face was flushed from her tears.

"Don't cry, Hinata-sama," a deep, cool voice said. Hinata gasped audibly and looked up.


	3. A Comforting Hand and A Challenge

"N-Neji-kun!" she hiccupped through her tears. The longhaired Hyuuga jumped down from the fence that surrounded the main house of the Hyuuga clan. Emotionlessly he wiped away a tear on her cheek with his thumb, his hard eyes piercing her in the darkness.

"It is not good for the heir to the Hyuuga clan to cry," he whispered softly. A hint of an apologetic smile played on the corners of his mouth. Hinata pulled her face away from his warm hand, ashamed.

"Gomen nasai, Neji-kun," she said softly. "It's just that…I feel so inferior to you and Hinabi-chan…"

"Shh, Hinata-sama," he said, turning her face back to his. "It's all right. So what if you're not the best in the clan? You can always get better. In fact, you don't need to be the leader. If you don't want to be the leader, then you don't have to."

"But oto-san…!"

Neji shook his head. "Iie, Hinata-sama. You don't need your father's approval to consider yourself a good ninja. Just like you don't need him to be a good person."

"Neji-kun…you don't understand…without oto-san's praise, I am nothing to the clan!" She turned and started to run, but Neji grabbed her hand and held her there.

"Iie, Hinata-sama. If you run away, it will only worsen your problems. You must face them to overcome them." Hinata relaxed, and she turned to him, tears of mixed emotion.

"Neji…kun!" she wailed, and she hugged him, sobbing. Neji gasped at first, but then wrapped her in his strong arms, not caring that she was soaking his jacket with her tears.

"It's all right Hinata-sama. Don't cry." Hinata gradually ceased her sobbing and looked up at him, her eyes red.

"Arigato, Neji-kun," she whispered, smiling ever so slightly.

"Dou-itaemashite, Hinata-sama," he replied, not returning the smile, instead keeping up his cold, hardened demeanor.

Hinata pulled away from him, inwardly not wanting to in the least bit. She wiped her eyes, turning to enter her home, since it was getting late.

"Hinata-sama, the next time you feel like crying, you can come to me," Neji said as she left. As Hinata turned to regard him, he was gone.

She shook her head and entered her prison.

Surprisingly, the Hyuuga house was silent as she entered. Apparently, everyone had retired to bed. Still, Hinata kept her guard up. Hiashi could have set traps to "train" her. She stepped softly, skirting every spot that creaked, reaching the adorned staircase.

Cautiously, she set one foot on the first step, gradually putting her weight on it, then stepping up to the next stair, then the next. As Hinata stepped onto the landing, she heard the sound of something moving rapidly through the air, and instinctively ducked. There was a muffled _thunk_ as something hit the wall, exactly where Hinata's head had been only seconds before. She squinted at it in the dark, and discovered it was a kunai, with a note attached to the end. Hinata tugged the kunai out of the wall and tore off the letter, opening it carefully.

_Hinata,_

_Seeing as you did not return home on time today, you will attend a punishment that I have prepared for you, tomorrow at 5:00 am outside the Forest of Death. If you do not show up exactly at that time, you will clean the entire Hyuuga estate, and receive only the barest of meals._

_Hyuuga Hiashi_

Hinata sighed. Yet another punishment exercise.


	4. Cereal and a Shock to Go

Hinata woke the next morning to the sound of her alarm clock buzzing at her. She slammed her hand on it irritably and sat up in her bed, rubbing her eyes. She looked at the clock. 3:45 A.M. _'What I wouldn't give to be able to go back to sleep,' _ Hinata thought to herself. She stepped lightly out of bed, turning on the lamp on the nightstand next to her. It was still dark out, with the sky just starting to lighten outside her window.

Despite her lethargy, Hinata dressed at top speed after getting out of the shower. Quickly downing a bowl of cereal, she made sure she had all of her equipment. Taking a deep breath, she stepped outside the Hyuuga doors and headed for the Forest of Death.

Hinata had never liked the Forest of Death, particularly because of her frightening experiences there during the Chuunin exam. She shuddered as she remembered when Gaara alone had killed three men so mercilessly. Shaking her head violently to rid herself of the image, she plodded on. Then she _conveniently _remembered that today she was supposed to go on a walk with Kiba. Well, to her, it was more like a date, but she cared a lot about him and didn't want to hurt his feelings or anything. Unfortunately, this was what she was bound to do anyway. The letter her father had given her hadn't said when her 'punishment' was to be over. She sighed. This was going to be a bad day.

As she neared the fence surrounding the forest, a tall figure in a black cloak was waiting there for her. Hinata gasped, her pearl eyes widening with shock.

"It's…It's…!" was all she could stutter. He looked down at her with an emotionless face, eyes burning into her.

"Ohayo, Hinata-sama." He said this with an obvious air of distaste. The Hyuuga girl backed away slowly, her hand clutching her kunai that had somehow gotten into her hand. She was trembling.

"O…Ohayo…Uchiha-san!" Hinata squeaked. He threw off his cloak as she spoke, revealing a gray netted shirt and black pants. His forehead protector was, of course, on his forehead, and the red eyes just below it gleamed with an evil aura.

"Uchiha…Itachi-san," Hinata gulped.


	5. A Fight and Unexpected Politeness

"Tch…" Itachi replied, curling his lip in disgust. "Just be glad little Sasuke-kun is here so I can't rough you up as much, girl."

Hinata bowed her head respectively as Itachi stepped aside to reveal Sasuke.

"Ohayo, Hyuuga-san," Sasuke said with bored indifference.

"O-ohayo…" she replied.

"Cut the formalities and let's get started," Itachi interrupted, taking a fighting stance. Hinata gulped and readied a defensive stance, and a sloppy one at that. While she had been collecting herself, though, Itachi had appeared behind her and hit her squarely in the back, causing her to fall forward onto her knees.

"I-itai…" she muttered to herself.

"Get up," Itachi snarled. "We've only just begun."

Later in the day, Hinata collapsed, exhausted. Sasuke was at her side, tending numerous cuts and bruises that she had suffered.

"A-arigato, Uchiha-kun," she said heavily. Sasuke said nothing, just continued to dab gently at her wounds. After a moment, he spoke.

"You should go home, Hyuuga-san," he said as gently as he could.

"Iie, Uchiha-kun. Oto-san would be disappointed with me again…"

"Then why don't you go somewhere besides home?" he asked, surprising her so much that she nearly fainted.

"N-nani?" Hinata replied, not believing her ears. She couldn't believe he was telling her this.

"Don't worry about what could happen, Hyuuga-san. Just go, and have a little fun for once. You need to get out more anyway." Sasuke offered her a tiny smile and stood up, offering her his hand.

"Besides, don't you have a date with Inuzuka today?"

Hinata's face flushed as she took his hand. "O-oh… yeah… that's right…" Her eyes grew distant for a moment 'Geez… did he tell all of Konoha or what?'

"Hyuuga-san?"

"Ah! Yes?"

"You'd better get going."

"Oh, hai, Uchiha-san." Bowing to him, Hinata dashed off, despite her exhaustion.

She just hoped that Kiba would still be there waiting…


	6. Not So Terrible After All

Hinata dashed to the town square as fast as she could, despite being heavily worn out by her battling with Itachi. She was breathless by the time she reached the park, and yet when she saw Kiba squatting down on one of the benches, her fatigue was a bit eased. The way he smiled so warmly and the way that Akamaru barked happily at her made her day a little less miserable.

"Konnichiwa, Kiba-kun," Hinata said as politely as she could, despite the fact that she could barely manage it.

"Konnichiwa, Hinata-chan!" Kiba replied happily, giving her a toothy grin. "Nan desu ka? You look tired," he added, and if he possessed dog ears, Hinata could have sworn they would have been drooping.

"Ehm… I decided to do a little training before our, um…"

"Date?" Kiba finished, causing the shy Hyuuga girl to blush deeply. She nodded, laughing a little nervously.

"H… hai. Date," she nodded. "So, um… What are we going to do?" Hinata asked, putting her arms behind her back and rocking a little on her heels. At this, Kiba brightened considerably, raising a finger and giving her a cat-got-the-canary smile.

"It's a surprise. Come on," he said, motioning with one hand towards a hill at the other end of the park.

Hinata obediently followed him, though an awkward silence fell between them. Akamaru was growling various things to Kiba as they walked, and Kiba looked as though it was frustrating him just a little.

'_He must be trying to tell Kiba-kun what to say… If only someone could help me with that… Then I'd be able to talk to Naruto-kun without stumbling over my words so much,_' Hinata thought to herself.

"Here we are!" Kiba chirped triumphantly. They had reached the crest of the hill, where a single tree stood and a picnic lunch had been set up. Hinata blushed at the sight, even gasping a little.

"N… Nani? You set this up yourself, Kiba-kun?!" she asked, utterly floored.

"Hai, Hinata-chan," he replied, laughing lightly. "I thought I would try doing something out of the ordinary for once, ne?"

Hinata smiled appreciatively as they sat on the blanket Kiba had laid out to eat the lunch he had prepared. It was surprisingly very good for being made by the rowdy Inuzuka boy.

"Domo arigato, Kiba-kun," Hinata said as she sampled everything that was laid out.

"Dou-itaemashite, Hinata-chan," he replied, scratching his nose with embarrassment. "It's the least I could do for all the times you've been here to support Shino and I."

Hinata smiled at the heartwarming remark, dipping her head a little in appreciation. Kiba was really a very sweet guy to her, but she truly could never see them as any more than friends, though she felt guilty, thinking that she was leading him on.

Suddenly the sky darkened as a large, steely grey cloud covered the sun. A chill breeze whipped past, sending some of their eating utensils flying into the wind.

"Oh no!" Kiba yelled, grabbing out for the flying objects vainly. Akamaru started barking, squirming inside Kiba's hoodie.

"It's going to rain…" Hinata sighed, her shoulders slumping. '_Just what I need… This day is just full of terrible happenings…_' She felt a cold raindrop hit her nose, and she squinted upwards at the now dark sky as more and more raindrops started to fall. Kiba scrambled to gather up all of the picnic items and stuff them into a basket.

"I'm so sorry Hinata-chan!" Kiba wailed, "I'll see you later!" he said as he bowed to her and dashed off towards his home. Hinata waved halfheartedly as she watched him go, pulling the hood of her sweatshirt over her head and curling up under the tree.

'_Why me…?_' she asked herself bitterly. She hugged her knees to her chest and laid her head on them, sobbing quietly as thunder began to roll above her. Kiba had worked so hard to make the day wonderful for her, and then Hiashi had forced punishment upon her, leaving her battered and exhausted. Everything had almost balanced out until the rain came. It dampened Hinata's spirits far more than her physical form. She wanted someone to turn to, someone to just hold her and tell her everything was going to be all right. Hinata could almost feel warm, sturdy arms holding her tightly; she could almost feel soft lips against her temple, a hand wiping away her tears.

She looked up into the pale eyes of Hyuuga Neji.

"So it… wasn't just a dream," she thought out loud. There he was, his pearly eyes uncharacteristically soft and warm.

"Don't cry, Hinata," he said softly. "You are not alone, and you never will be again." His lips brushed hers for a moment as he whispered: "I love you, more than you can imagine."

Hinata didn't know what to say. She was undeniably relaxed for once, not stuttering, not blushing. She was just… there, transposed from her usual demeanor. Now that Neji was there, she truly felt that she was cared for, that she mattered to someone. To hear those words from him lifted her spirits to their very height.

"Neji," she whispered softly as his lips closed over hers. "Aishiteru…"

Perhaps the rainy day was not that terrible after all…

Fin


End file.
